S2E20 - Dudebox (Said Yassin & Ahmad Talib)

When Dudebox co-founders Said Yassin and Ahmad Taib first began throwing parties at their Chinatown loft in 2007, they had no idea that they would grow into a social enterprise.

Over the past decade, they've raised nearly $200,000 for various charities by throwing a series of legendary parties in unconventional Toronto spaces.

We sat down with the dudes to talk about using Google Street View to scout party locations, being introduced to the Afrocentric hip hop of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, and that time when eight-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash snuck a bottle of Hennessy into one of their parties.

Having studied jazz drumming at Concordia University, she is well-versed in a myriad of other instruments, including piano, guitar and French horn.

Guest co-host Tara Kannagara and I talk to Charlotte about her latest album being longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, collaborating with members of Broken Social Scene, and her favourite Kevin Bacon and Jack Nicholson movies.